Fountain Conversion: A Michalis in the Garden 

We have been fortunate to have Rebecca Sweet write for The Yardstick in the past and knowing that she has a sustained love for Mediterranean gardens and is busy with clients seeking her expertise and experience, we are pleased that she took the time to answer some questions about her garden design featuring Eye of the Day’s Greek pot, the Michalis, as a fountain conversion.  Rebecca is the author of several esteemed books on gardening and her work has been featured in Sunset Magazine, Horticulture and a variety of other national publications.  Her design firm, Harmony in the Garden, is in Los Altos California.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself as a designer and Harmony in the Garden.

I’m a California native, and though I’ve lived in both the southern and central parts of the state, I’ve spent most of my life in the Bay Area. Over the years I’ve seen this area’s sleepy suburbs transform into the bustling, densely populated, high-energy area that it is today. The people who call this place home come from all over the country, as well as the world, and have brought with them their unique perspectives on gardening. Having had my landscape design company, Harmony in the Garden, for over 15 years now, it’s been an incredible gift to be a part of these changes and to help so many people from different walks of life create their versions of paradise.

Q: What was your client’s goal for this garden?

As passionate gardeners themselves, the clients wanted to transform this part of their garden from a water-guzzling, and unsightly half-dead lawn into something that would require much less maintenance and water. This area is situated close to their home and can be viewed from several large windows, so it needed to look good year-round.

Q: What was your initial vision for the landscape and did that change over time?

My vision and theirs complemented one another perfectly, as we are all succulent fans. So, to reduce water consumption, as well as indulge in our love of succulents, we removed the lawn, replacing it with a low-water succulent and cactus garden. To help tie this new space in with their existing, and more traditional style of garden, we also incorporated   several flowering shrubs and perennials that were colorful, yet also drought-tolerant and low-maintenance.

Because the area is fairly large, we knew we needed to break up the space into smaller, more manageable planting areas. Wide decomposed granite pathways were the solution, gently meandering through the space, helping to bring down the scale of the oversized garden.

Q: Any unique issues or challenges for this project during the design or installation?

Initially, the homeowner wanted this garden to thrive without supplemental water but quickly realized that just wasn’t going to happen. This area is in full sun so even the cactus were suffering through the blistering summer heat-waves. Luckily, we had a feeling this might happen and had previously installed a framework of irrigation under the ground ‘just in case.’ We ended up irrigating the garden, on a very reduced schedule.

Q: What would you describe as your garden design aesthetic and how do you work with your client’s own vision for the landscape?

My own aesthetic is one that appears full and lush, yet is quite drought-tolerant. My passion for plants has allowed me to create drought tolerant gardens that don’t ‘look’ drought  tolerant, and is what I’m probably best known for creating.

Since so many of my clients come from around the world, their vision for their garden (and the    plants they’re used to seeing) can be challenging to translate with California’s lack of water. Luckily, living in a mild-winter climate such as ours, we have access to an expansive selection of drought-tolerant plants from which to choose.  I love interpreting their vision into a garden overflowing with plants that will thrive here.

Q: For garden décor, why the Michalis Greek pot for the fountain conversion?

When designing this garden, we knew we wanted a focal point to bisect the center of the pathways. To keep in scale with the large garden and home, we needed a large focal point.  The Michalis Greek pot an ideal choice for a fountain conversion and blends beautifully with their historic Mediterranean home. By converting the pot into to a fountain, we added the gentle sound of trickling water, entertainment from the multitude of birds that adore taking baths there, and the illusion of ‘coolness’ from the water itself. We couldn’t have chosen a more perfect focal point for this garden.

Q: What was your favorite part of this project?

My favorite part of this project was to see the joy on my clients’ faces as they saw their garden’s breathtaking transformation. I continue to visit them and their garden every few months and seeing the succulents grow and fill in, creating an ever-changing tapestry has given my clients so much happiness through the years – all while significantly reducing their water bill!

See Rebecca’s other work on our blog:

Rebecca Sweet On Shades of Gray in the Garden
Stylish and Sustainable Garden Design

DIY: How to Make a Succulent Fountain 

Looking for a way to add a beautiful and water friendly feature to your garden? We’ve got the perfect garden project for your next weekend outdoors.

Here at Eye of the Day, Amelia Richardson, better known as Mimi, takes care of the succulent plantings around the store. An expert on succulents, she takes an overlooked wall fountain and transforms it into a beautiful container garden. This project is great not just for drought-stricken California, but any garden that gets enough sunlight throughout the year.

Here is a step-by-step guide to converting a fountain into a succulent fountain garden.

Step 1: Choose Your Vessel

Choose a fountain. It can be one meant to mount a wall, a standalone fountain, single or multi-tiered, or even a birdbath will do!

Step 2: Prep Your Container

Drain the fountain of water and make sure that any drainage holes are covered, if any. You can use a broken piece of pottery or terracotta. The soil will still shift so periodically check the draining that soil isn’t completely blocking it off.

You can also add a layer of rock gravel first before adding soil. If you’re using a birdbath, this step is a must.

Step 3: Add Your Soil

We recommend using cactus mix when planting succulents. It drains quickly which is good for plants that can’t sit in wet soil. We use EB Stone’s Organic Cactus Mix. If you live near Eye of the Day here in the Santa Barbara area, be sure to stop by and get some!

Step 4: Choose Your Succulents

When picking succulents, it will really depend on the planter. On large planters, you can choose a focal plant that you can work smaller succulents around. For example: A large Echeveria or Aeonium in the center that is worked around with smaller accent pieces like Sedum morganianum. 

Mimi Tips:

• Have fun when picking succulents. Grouping like with like is also easier.
• Color story: Jewel toned, all greens, chartreuses, blacks, cool tones versus warm tones
• Textural: Soft, sharp, or hardy.
• Shape: Round (Echeveria, aeonium, sempervivum), spiky (crassula, sansevieria), mix of large and small, tall and short. Senicio radicans and Sedum morganianum even mimic water flow as they drape over the edges.
• Single type: Just one type of succulent for beginner planters. All rosette types are always pretty.

Step 5: Plan the Layout

Before you start the actual planting, place the succulents either on the ground or in the fountain as you imagine the final product. Here you can edit and rearrange as you see how it’ll all come together.

Sometimes planters can be organized and others more organic and wild. It will depend on the container and where it’s going.

Step 6: Start Planting

When removing a succulent from its plastic container, sometimes you’ll be transplanting to an area smaller than the soil around the succulent. You can remove much of the soil while still preserving the roots to get it to fit in the container spot.

Mimi Tip: Don’t be afraid to plant them close together. You can always leave space to let them fill out but getting into every nook and cranny helps to create its own ecosystem and that full growth actually slows down the propagation.

Besides, you can always remove, replace and transplant—that’s the great nature of succulents. Succulents are hardy; they’re hard to ruin so press them into the soil. You can also use wet sheet moss to keep the plants moist and reduce the need for additional watering.

Step 7: Add Decorative Elements

Depending on the container get creative using shells, pieces of wood, rocks, broken pot or statue pieces, sea glass, etc. as added decorative material. If you prefer space between your succulents, these elements can help cover the soil.

Step 8: Final Watering 

Give it a quick but generous soak and wash off the container with any leftover dirt. With succulents you want to water once or twice a week depending on sun and weather conditions. Soil should dry out (not completely bone dry) between watering. If soil is still damp you don’t need to water just yet.

If you’re using a container that does not have a drainage hole like a birdbath, then you would let it go bone dry between watering.

Voila! You have a beautiful, water friendly, succulent fountain!

To check out another fun DIY project take a look at Design Rulz article on DIY Macrame Plant Hanger Patterns.

Blueprint: Montecito Landscape Refine a Santa Barbara Garden

Chris Cullen, the founder of Montecito Landscape, began landscaping at the tender age of eight at his family home in Los Altos Hills, CA. He got his contractor’s license in 1970 and moved to Montecito and named his company after his new home town.

Since then, Montecito Landscape has specialized in design and installation of residential landscapes. Chris has created some of the mainstays of the “Montecito Landscape” that are part of the image we see when we think of Montecito. For example, he was responsible for the creation of original landscaping at Ennisbrook (on Sheffield Road) adding the double line of Stone Pines that line the walking paths through the west end and choosing the specific type of trees planted at the entrance to match the plaster wall of the original construction (the plaster color was later changed, but the trees still remain).

One of Chris and Lisa’s newest projects is a Santa Barbara home. The property had “good bones” but needed refinement. There were a number of unattractive hedges that blocked the beautiful vistas and made it feel hemmed in. The home is a work of art in itself with its simple, modern design and the way it is nestled into the property gives it the sense that it is a work of nature. Their job was to enhance the organic feel of the house and property while creating some space both visually and literally.

Consistent with Montecito Landscape’s garden design philosophy, they first isolate, and then focus on bringing out the best features of a property. Their feeling that each location is as different as each client helps them to approach every new project “intending to help the client see and appreciate their assets and then work with them to discover what it is they need and want.” It then becomes a focus to fulfill the clients’ dreams in such a way that uses their home and property’s intrinsic beauty in unexpected and surprising ways. The goal is to use the entire property in the “picture”, creating “negative space” in a three dimensional design.

When determining exactly what needed to be done when working on this project and how to fulfill what the client wanted, the Cullens knew that something about the landscape “wasn’t quite right” but they couldn’t identify it themselves. “In fact most of our clients know what they want and know when something works and when it doesn’t. What they don’t know is how fix it. That’s where we come in. This garden already had a drought tolerant theme, however many of the plantings were just not working; they were kind of ‘clunky.’ We suggested the addition of brightness and light to the scene, so that is what we did. With the addition of Euphorbia, Mexican Sage, Nepeta, Santa Barbara Daisy, Santolina and others we were able to add color and softness. When there is a lot of hardscape, as there was in this landscape, we wanted some softness as a counterpoint.”

When it came to adding garden décor “the client knew they wanted a water feature as a focal point and so of course, we sent them to Eye of the Day. With Brent’s help they found exactly what they were looking for. It then became our job to incorporate the fountain into the landscape in such a way that it seemed as if it were always there. This is our goal, then, when we utilize garden décor, fountains, sculpture, etc. it should feel as it belongs.”

For Chris and Lisa, “It is always a pleasure to create a beautiful ‘picture’ in the landscape; it’s why we do what we do. We live for the creation of aesthetics. The pleasure comes in working with the client to give them a garden they will use and enjoy for years to come. This project was no different. We loved collaborating with this particular couple because they were very involved and they love to work in their garden.”

See more of Chris and Lisa Cullen’s work at Montecito Landscape.

FOUNTAIN AS MUSE

Sunday morning.  Outside the bank of our bedroom windows, the fountain’s splash and play completely encompass the peacefulness of home.  Our shy friend, a tiny iridescent green hummingbird is curiously eyeing the droplets arcing into the air. Especially while we are all thinking about water problems in California, enjoying a few moments with the sound, sight and spray of our fountain is almost intoxicating.

Throughout the years we have consistently added to Eye of the Day’s library of books pertaining to gardening, fountains, pottery, terracotta and European antiques. While I was mesmerized by the muse of my fountain, I remembered a book I found for Brent a few years ago:  Fountains Splash and spectacle: Water and Design from the Renaissance to the Present edited by Marilyn Symmes. The book traces the history of fountains throughout the world from the renovations of ancient Roman aqueducts to choreographed, computer controlled displays combining light, music, and fireworks.

Photographs, paintings, illustrations, etchings and drawings are so plentiful and varied that even if you only pick up the book to see them you’ll be drawn into reading a few paragraphs like this one:

Water possesses almost magical qualities.  A spraying fire hydrant can transform a sweltering city street into a temporary oasis, offering neighborhood children a showery playground as welcome relief—from the dry, hard pavement…the sound of moving water—sometimes a roar, at other times a whisper–breaks the stillness and can provide an aural refreshment on a warm day.

The last photo in the book is the best possible illustration of this paragraph.

Though our water problems have no foreseeable end and we may need to regulate the use of our fountains, the birds, bees and butterflies not only enjoy, but need water to survive and even a few hours a day provide a magical quality.  And that’s not just for animals, but for those of us staring out the window on a Sunday morning as well.

Fountains: Splash and Spectacle – Water and Design from the Renaissance to the Present. Edited by Marilyn Symmes. The Smithsonian Institution, 1998.

Morocco in Your Own Garden

California gardens, especially those in Southern California have long utilized the concept of outdoor rooms. Countries with warm, dry climates around the Mediterranean basin have been creating miniature oases outdoors for centuries. Taking a cue from them is one way to replicate both the feel and appropriateness of this style.

Moroccan gardens provide great examples of the restrained use of water to create a lush setting in outdoor courtyards and passageways. Even while reducing your water use in the landscape, you can create an intimate, yet luxuriant garden space by taking inspiration from arid North Africa. Gardens there are generally central to the dwelling, both to provide privacy and protection from the heat and winds.

One of the key elements of these enclosed spaces is limiting water use. The Arabic word for a garden of this type is riad and usually refers to the central fountain or ornamental pool. The fountain need not be large to provide a bit of cooling to the air as well as a sense of peace and luxury in a climate where water is scarce.  It is possible to recreate that feeling with a simple water feature created from a glazed pot and a small, efficient pump instead of building a large fountain.

Another feature is the exuberant use of color. Colorful pots, a painted wall or gate as well as bright flowers make for a vibrant and even joyful setting. Vivid glazed tiles, whether on the patio floor or the surface of a fountain, also contribute to creating an exotic paradise.

Plants can be used as well and they do not have to be those that require a lot of water. There are many that are drought tolerant, yet lush-looking. Large leaves give a more topical feel and species such as bird of paradise, aspidistra and pygmy date palm do well in containers. Succulents are a great choice; from cacti to agaves and aloes, they thrive on little water and their foliage provides drama and color. The Canary Islands is home to a wonderful group of succulents, the aeoniums, whose fleshy leaves grow in large, showy rosettes and would be perfect choices. Even the humble geranium (Pelargonium) is sturdy and produces flowers nearly year round. Assemble several plants in one container to provide a miniature landscape or group individual pots together, mixing and matching your color palette.

Look at Planted Wells blog for more Moroccan garden design inspiration.

Image Credits:
Moroccan Garden – Creative Commons, Chelsesa Flower Show Gardens by Rictor Norton and David Allen is licensed under CC by 2.0
Plant Image – Creative Commons, BCSS gloucester branch auction – The national agave collection by stephen boisvert is licensed under CC by 2.0 

The owners of this classic Mediterranean home in Glendale, California contacted Sally Farnum of SE Farnum Associates in Altadena for a new front yard design requiring minimal maintenance and low water use. Her design included a Gladding McBean Oil Jar fountain conversion in Caribbean, as well as two Gladding McBean planters flanking the front entrance.

The neighborhood in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, was lined with houses showing off well-manicured lawns and lush plantings. But like most streets, it had ”that one house.” You know the house. Dried and dying lawn, gopher holes dotting the landscape, and essentially an eyesore to a neighborhood that otherwise boasts its curb appeal.  Before their neighbors stopped talking to them, my clients contacted me to revamp the landscape in front of their home. These were busy clients who just work, work, work, leaving very little time for yard work. They were leaving the digging and turning of the soil to the gophers and the trimming to the deer. They even spent a few hours a week unsuccessfully trying to combat rodents with traps, flooding, and varmint bombs.

Change did not come easily to these clients, but they knew they needed to do something. They requested a garden design that would require minimal maintenance and low water but still incorporate beautiful plantings, as well as being deer and gopher proof. I discussed the beauty of replacing their lawn with a composition of decomposed granite, new and colorful water-wise plantings, hardscape using saltillo concrete tiles and a new fountain.

Initially the clients’ three colors of choice were beige, dark beige, and white, but I was able to convince them that a lively color palette can be beautiful, energizing, and attractive not only to them, but to desirable visitors like butterflies, bees, and birds. The plantings include colorful sages, ceanothus, lantana, and achillea that not only drink little but the deer and pesky gophers don’t find them to their culinary liking.  It’s been almost a year and they haven’t lost any plants to the wildlife, what a success!

The colors of the Malibu tiles that we used in the hardscape were definitely an influence on my desire to use a Gladding, McBean oil jar for a fountain. I was thrilled that my clients selected the Caribbean blue over a more subtle color and love the fountain conversion done by Eye of the Day. The clients are so happy with their colorful garden that they recently asked me to help select the palette for the re-painting of their house and of course the selections are very close to the color of the Gladding McBean fountain.